At the time of Emperor Justinian's death in 565 AD, several plots were devised to bring about the disgrace of Narses, the current ruler of Italy. His enemies were successful in bringing him down - but Narses would have his revenge.

Narses called upon the Lombards, several thousand of whom has served under him previously, to invade Italy.

In 568 AD the leader of the Lombards, Alboin, with several successful campaigns under his belt, marched the Lombards into Italy with 30,000 Saxons. Cities fell quickly under the army, and soon all was taken except for Rome and Ravenna.

Ironically, an quarrel between Alboin and his wife led to his demise: she had him murdered after he insulted her at dinner.

After the death of Alboin, the region become unbound, as no one was strong enough to keep the various armies together.

During this time churches were raided, Roman nobles killed, and citied were overthrown. As a result, Italy was divided into several regions, each with a Duke as its leader.

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The Origin of Valentine's Day?

Valentines day dates back to Roman times, when a holiday called The Feast of Lubercus was celebrated to protect shepherds and their flocks from wolves. During this time of year, goddess Juno Februata was honored by pairing boys and girls and denoting them 'partners' for a year.

Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 497 AD, in an effort to replace pagan holidays with Christian tradition. Although the pairing ritual was banished, romance remains the distinctive attribute of this holiday.